James Anderson, England’s leading Test wicket-taker, consequently expressed his fear that up-and-coming players will shun the five-day game due to the riches on offer in big-money Twenty20 events like the Big Bash League and the IPL.

But Pietersen, who has become a specialist in T20 cricket since a very public sacking from England in February 2014, believes that franchise owners are looking for the traits associated with playing Test cricket.